Aug 13 (Reuters) - Defence equipment maker Chemring Group Plc said on Monday that it expects the explosion at a military hardware factory near Salisbury, Wiltshire to lower underlying operating profit for the year by 10 million to 20 million pounds.

The explosion at the Chemring Countermeasures factory, which left one person dead on Friday, has caused damage to parts of the factory’s manufacturing operations and production is currently suspended, Chemring added. ($1 = 0.7838 pounds) (Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)